iTunes

Kids accidentally racking up hundreds of dollars of iTunes and App Store purchases may be a thing of the past with iOS 8, with Apple adding Family Share to better interlink accounts of parents and children. Family Share for iOS 8 allows a group of people set as a family to share their apps and media bought from the App Store and iTunes across all of their devices, while the security to prevent unauthorized purchases has been boosted, too.

The iTunes Radio platform might be getting a bit more radio-like. The music service, which offers up a streamed playlist, is rumored to be working with several radio stations to bring their broadcasts online. Even more telling is that the inclusion of actual radio stations would bring “locally targeted advertising”.

Apple’s got something major in the works, according to their iTunes and iCloud chief Eddy Cue. At the Code Conference this week, Cue said Apple has the best products he’s seen in his quarter-century with the company coming later this year. That’s a bold statement from a guy who’s seen just about everything Apple’s ever done.

Now that Apple has Beats under their wing, some are searching for answers. Did they covet Beats’ headphones? Was it a quick grab to get a streaming music offering? The answer to both is probably a firm “yes”, but when it comes to Apple’s music offerings, the proof is in the numbers.

Apple sent out an update for OS X and iTunes today, both of which are incremental but make necessary changes. With OS X, support for 4K monitors has improved on both the Mac Pro and MacBook Pro 15-inch. Contact syncing also gets a wired update, as well as some in-depth tweaks most will never encounter.

Earlier today, Apple's senior writer Dave Addey fired off a tweet announcing the company's "iOS Human Interface Guidelines" is now available to grab from the iBookstore. The download is free and available for anyone who wants it.

With WWDC right around the corner, speculation abounds regarding iOS 8. Much like iOS 7 brought a wildly updated UI, iOS 8 is said to bring added functionality. From new Apple apps to a brand new way to multitask, iOS 8 could usher in a new age for iPhone and iPad users.

Apple acquiring Beats is not about design. Apple did not acquire Beats for their design prowess, as the Beats group does not design the physical elements of their own products - Ammunition Group* does. Instead, Apple will have acquired Beats for its inroads to music, one way or the other. It is possible, if this deal is done, that Apple will have made a bad decision.

The first generation Apple TV has been around for several years now and lots of the devices are in use around the world. Reports are surfacing that issues have prevented users from connecting to iTunes are plaguing these first generation Apple TV set top boxes. The iTunes connectivity issue appears to be affecting owners of these first generation boxes around the world.

Following an update today for its iPhone app, Beats Music is now accepting new subscriptions using Apple's iTunes billing system. The reason revolves around the high number of iPhone users the service has, and how hard it is to get a new subscriber without an in-app option.